1919 Decatur - Adaptive Reuse

This adaptive re-use project took a turn of the century Baptist tabernacle and created innovative, open office space and a creative environment for design work. Critical due diligence helped us preserve this piece of Houston's history by resurrecting a building on the National Register of Historic Places while bringing the overall project in at a cost competitive with new construction. The traditional exterior was rehabilitated, while the interior received a modern update to allow for an open-plan workspace. Careful renovation brought the structure into compliance with modern building codes, life safety standards and A.D.A. guidelines, an often difficult charge in older structures and necessitated by the change in occupancy classification of the building.

We treat our own headquarters as a test bed for green technologies - rainwater harvesting for irrigation, edible and wildlife-friendly landscaping, zero-VOC paint, exterior-insulated high-albedo roofing, high-efficiency lighting with daylight harvesting and LED fixtures, green suppliers + vendors. This allows us to carefully evaluate and purposefully implement many sustainable concepts and green technologies.